INTRODUCTION TO

AUTOMOBILE SYSTEMS
• In a motor vehical term powertrain or powerplant refers
to the group of components that generate power and
deliver it to the road surface, water, or air.

• This includes the engine, transmission, drive shafts, 

differentials, and the final drive.

• Sometimes "powertrain" is used to refer to simply the

engine and transmission, including the other components
only if they are integral to the transmission
• The earliest automobiles consisted of carriages (similar to
those drawn by horses) to which a primitive engine and
drivetrain and steering controls were added.
• Such cars had a strong steel frame that supported the body of
the car.
• The wheels were attached to this frame by a set of springs
and shock absorbers that permitted the car to travel over the
uneven road surfaces of the day while isolating the car body
from many of the road irregularities.
• This same general configuration persisted in most passenger
cars until some time after World War II, although there was an
evolution in car size, shape, and features as technology
permitted.
Systems of the
Automobile
Systems include the following:
• Engine
• Drivetrain (transmission, differential, axle)
• Suspension
• Steering
• Brakes
• Instrumentation
• Electrical/electronic
• Motion control
• Safety
• Comfort/convenience
• Entertainment/communication/navigation
• This basic vehicle configuration was used from the earliest
cars through the late 1960s or 1970s, with some notable
exceptions.

• The increasing importance of fuel efficiency and government-

mandated safety regulations led to major changes in vehicle
design.

• The body and frame evolved into an integrated structure to

which the power train, suspension, wheels, etc., were
attached.
• Once again with a few notable exceptions, most cars had an
engine in a front configuration with the drive axle at the rear.
There are advantages in having the engine located in the front
of the vehicle (e.g., crash protection, efficient engine cooling).

• Until recently, the so-called drive wheels through which

power is delivered to the road have been the rear wheels
This configuration is known as rear wheel drive.

• For safety and stability the front wheels are used to steer the
vehicle.
• This rear wheel drive configuration is not optimal from a
traction standpoint since the relatively large weight of the
engine/transmission is primarily on the front wheels.

• In order to take advantage of the engine weight for traction,

many present-day cars combine steering and drive wheels in
the front (i.e., so-called front wheel drive cars).

• In achieving front wheel drive, certain compromises must be

made with respect to complexity and steering radius.
Moreover, there is a tendency for the torque applied to the
front wheels to adversely affect steering through a
phenomenon known as “torque steer.”
• In front wheel drive cars the engine is mounted transversely
(i.e., with the rotation axis orthogonal to the vehicle axis as
opposed to along the vehicle axis).

• In automotive parlance the traditional engine orientation is

referred to as North-South, and the transverse orientation as
East-West.

• The transmission is mounted adjacent to the engine and

oriented with its axis parallel to the engine axis. The
differential and drive axle configuration is normally mounted
in the transmission; the combined unit is thus called the
transaxle.
 THE ENGINE
• The engine in an automobile provides all the power for
moving the automobile, for the hydraulic and pneumatic
systems, and for the electrical system.
• A variety of engine types have been produced, but one class
of engine is used most: the internal combustion, piston-type,
4-stroke/cycle, gasoline- fueled, spark-ignited, liquid-cooled
engine. This engine will be referred as the spark-ignited or SI
engine.
Cutaway View of a 6- Cylinder, Overhead- Valve, Inline Engine
The major components of the engine include the following:
• Engine block
• Cylinder
• Crankshaft
• Pistons
• Connecting rods
• Camshaft
• Cylinder head
• Valves
• Fuel control system
• Ignition system
• Exhaust system
• Cooling system
• Electrical system
• Electronics play a direct role in all aspects of controlling
engine operation, including the fuel and air flow control,
ignition, exhaust and evaporative emission systems, and
diagnostic and maintenance operations.
• To produce power, the gasoline engine must not only
have a correct mixture of fuel and air, but also some
means of initiating combustion of the mixture.
Essentially the only practical means is with an electric
spark produced across the gap between a pair of
electrodes of a spark plug. The electric arc or spark
provides sufficient energy to cause combustion. This
phenomenon is called ignition.
 Diesel Engine

• Physically, the diesel engine is nearly identical to the

gasoline engine and can be either 4 stroke or 2
stroke/cycle. It consists of cylinders cast into a block
with pistons, connecting rods, crank shaft, camshaft,
and valves (4-stroke engine).
• Torque and power are produced during the 4 strokes
as in the case of the 4-stroke gasoline engine.
The hybrid vehicle is capable of operation in three
modes in which power comes from:
(a) the engine only;
(b) the electric motor only; and
(c) the combined engine and electric motor.
• In achieving these modes of operation,the engine
and electric motor must be coupled to the drivetrain.
A schematic depiction of a hybrid vehicle power
train is shown in Figure
• The power to move the vehicle can come from the
engine alone, from the battery via electric power
to the motor/generator (motor in this case), or by
both acting together. The motor generator/rotor is
connected on the shaft between the crankshaft
and the transaxle assembly.
• In a typical hybrid vehicle, the relative power from
the IC engine and the electric motor is adjusted to
give optimum performance during normal driving.